Truth For Life with Alistair Begg Sermons

After learning of the sorry state of Jerusalem’s walls, Nehemiah responded with prayerful dependence, careful preparation, and quiet assessment before calling others to act. As Alistair Begg points out, his leadership combined trust in God’s sovereignty with practical wisdom and courage in the face of opposition. Through Nehemiah’s example, we’re reminded that God’s work advances through ordinary people who rely on Him, persevere through discouragement, and unite around a shared, God-given purpose.

According to one Barna study, the average pastor lasts only five years at a given church—often leaving just when, statistically speaking, he would be approaching his greatest period of usefulness. In a world of such short pastoral tenures, what does it look like to minister in the same place for not just years but decades? In this informal talk to pastors, Alistair Begg reflects on his forty-two years of pastoral ministry at Cleveland’s Parkside Church, sharing lessons learned about both the dangers and the delights of what D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones called “the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.”

While an approach to Christianity that treats it as a soft option may sound attractive, it’s certainly not scriptural. Truly biblical discipleship is muscular, demanding, and thoughtful. The apostle Paul made this clear to Timothy as he urged him to proclaim the Gospel boldly and to suffer for it bravely. In this conference message, Alistair Begg examines the three word pictures Paul used to clarify the believer’s daily need for devotion, discipline, and diligence in the Christian life.

As Christopher Ash writes, “The word of God is the driving force that shapes authentic church life.” If in our churches we wish to see discipleship in the pews, we have to have discipleship in the pulpit. With this conviction in view, Alistair Begg guides us through Paul’s stirring words in 2 Timothy 4:1–8, examining the charge Paul gave to his pastoral protégé, the challenge Timothy faced, and the commitment the apostle urged upon him.

One of the evidences of our having been adopted into God’s family is that we pray. But what are we to actually pray about, and how? In Ephesians 3, Paul reveals his prayers for the Ephesian believers, providing a pattern for prayer that both encourages and challenges believers in all times. In this message, Alistair Begg examines Paul’s entreaty, the generosity upon which it’s based, and the glorious end toward which the apostle prays: that God will get all the glory He deserves.